Awhile back on these pages, I was telling you a couple stories involving my old friend Seamus Gumbo. Did I ever tell you how we became friends?

It was back when I was Mayor.

Haven’t I mentioned that before? Hmmm…

For a few years I ran a small town in the latter half of the 20th century. Up north. Nice little town square. A couple dozen shops, a few offices, a bunch of brownstone apartment buildings in two directions, woods to the north, a lake to the west. Fairport. Nice town. The port wasn’t much. Just a small dock. But it had been a local shipping center back in the day as Fairport was located at the confluence of the Deitide River and Fair Lake and there was access to the railroad.

At the corner of Hamilton and Main, across from the Fairport Convention Center, was the local head shop. It was a gathering place for musicians, writers, artists and other creative types. A lot of younger people hung out there, as you might expect.

When I was campaigning for Mayor, I had to give serious thought to whether to stop in and shake hands with the proprietor. I had to think about how it would look if an opponent or a newspaper columnist or some busy body made a big deal out of a candidate going into a head shop. I had to weigh that against the fact that this was a locally-owned business selling completely legal products and the owner was accepted by the business community and belonged to the Chamber of Commerce. And I had to consider its popularity too. I wondered what the balance was between the pro-head shop and anti-head shop vote. I also considered that my two opponents – who, unlike me, had lived in the town their entire lives – probably would never even consider going in there.

Six weeks before the election, the local newspaper’s poll had me running second, just two points ahead of the third place finisher and eight points behind the guy in first. My campaign manager – the owner of the local shoe repair shop – met me at the diner on the morning the poll came out.

“We gotta do something to shake things up,” he said.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “It’s not looking too good, is it?”

“You know how the baseball managers, when they’re six games out with six weeks to go, they tell the reporters, ‘We just gotta pick up a game a week and we’re right there.’ You’ve heard that, right?”

I nodded.

“Well, they never do it,” he said. “And we’re eight points down with six weeks to go. We need better than a point a week.”

“You’re really cheering me up,” I said.

“Good,” he answered. “Put on that happy face and go out and shake every hand in the business district.”

“I already did that.”

“Do it again. Six weeks to Election Day – now they’re finally paying real attention. Get in there and talk to every one of them about something that matters to them. An issue, the town, their business, their family, whatever it is. Just let them know you’re a nice guy and you’re listening to what matters to them. And whatever thing they make their biggest point about, write it down in a notebook. Right there in front of them. People see a candidate writing down their complaint or their idea, they’re gonna vote for that candidate. Plus, you’ll have a new list of things to address in your appearances the rest of the way.”

“Okay,” I said.

“So go see everybody again. And see anybody you missed. Did you miss anybody?”

“Just the head shop owner,” I said.

He thought a moment. “What do you think?” he asked.

“I think he probably knows I visited every shop around him but not him. Though I’m sure Hendricks and Ross did the same.”

“Well,” he said as he assessed the risk, “like I said, we gotta do something to shake things up.”

I nodded.

“If you’re the only one who goes in there, he’s going to tell all his friends. And they’re going to love you for recognizing them as part of the community. And if the others make a stink, the head shop people might rally behind you.”

“The Head Shop People?” I laughed. “Isn’t that a band?”

He laughed. “Might be. Why don’t you go over there and ask them?”

I did. There wasn’t any fallout. Nor did the Head Shop People get out the vote and lead me to a landslide win. There was no impact on the election at all. But other things happened in the campaign and it seemed the race was tightening. And when it was over, I had been elected.

Which leads me to my story…

I’ll never forget the second time I met Seamus Gumbo.

A couple weeks after I was sworn in as Mayor of Fairport, I walked into Gumbo’s Head Shop. I had been making it a point to stop into one local business every day to discuss what we were doing to address various issues. During the campaign, I thought it over first before coming in here and now as Mayor, I did ask myself the question again. But I didn’t have to think about it for more than ten seconds this time. It was the right thing to do. It was a legal business and I was treating it like any other. I expected this visit to be pretty much like at all the other shops.

But you know it wasn’t. If it was, I wouldn’t be telling you about it…

“What’s happenin’ Mr. Mayor?” Seamus greeted me. He put down a box of Zig-Zag and came out from behind the counter to shake my hand. “Welcome back. Thanks for stopping by. What can I do for you today? Maybe a nice pipe? We have some on special, now check this out…”

He pulled out from a display case, a tray of pipes and bowls of various sizes and colors.

“See anything you like?”

“I wasn’t really shopping,” I said, “I came in to chat.”

“Oh, of course, Mr. Mayor.” He put the pipe tray back in the display.

“Please call me Danko,” I smiled.

“Thank you Danko. And call me Seamus.”

We talked about some on-going issues such as traffic flow downtown and the need for more public parking.

Then a delivery man interrupted us.

“Come on back, Mr. May — Danko. I just have to hold the back door for Jake, we can keep talking.”

We walked behind the counter and into the stockroom, past Seamus’ office to the back door. He held the door as Jake the delivery man unloaded boxes from his truck. Seamus and I continued to talk about town business.

When Jake was done, Seamus spoke with him for a moment and signed a receipt and stood in the door as Jake pulled out of the alleyway. I was looking at the posters on the wall outside his office.

“Hey Danko,” Seamus half-whispered.

I turned toward the door but he had stepped outside into the alley. I walked through the doorway and as I did a strong whiff of marijuana entered my nostrils and Seamus’ outstretched hand was offering me a joint.

I stopped short.

Seamus was holding in his first toke and motioning to me to take the joint.

I walked past him and down the alley. About halfway. Looked around. Checked the height of the fence and whether there were any open windows on the building next door.

I walked back to Seamus and took the joint. I puffed. And handed it back.

We said nothing. Just smoked.

After we each had several hits, Seamus said, “I can’t believe I’m getting high with the Mayor!”

“I can’t believe I’m getting high, period,” I said as I took another hit.

“When’s the last time you got high?” Seamus asked.

“Must be twenty years,” I answered as I handed the joint back to him.

“The last time you got high was twenty years ago?” Seamus asked in surprise.

I hesitated for a second. But I took a chance…and answered truthfully.

“Twenty years from now,” I said.

Seamus was about to put the joint to his lips as he heard me. He stopped and looked at me. Then he looked at the joint. “This stuff must be better than I thought,” he said.

I laughed. Seamus took another puff. As he held it in, he spoke…in that gutteral way people do when they’re holding in a mouthful of pot smoke, “So let me get this straight. You’re saying the last time you smoked a jay was twenty years from now?” He paused. “In the future?” He continued to hold that puff while I responded.

“That’s what I’m saying.” I smiled.

“Uh-huh,” Seamus looked me over as he blew out the smoke. “You’re not going to tell me you’re a Time Wizard, are you?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head.

“Didn’t think so,” he said.

He handed me the joint. I looked him in the eye.

“You?” I asked.

He smiled. “Yup,” he said. I would have had no reason to suspect Seamus was a Time Wizard but after he broached the subject, I could see where this conversation was going.

I took a hit. And in my gutteral voice said, “Time traveller,” as I tapped my chest with the fingers that weren’t holding the joint.

A week later, back home in Winterfell, I received the documents regarding ownership of Aquaetas. Quin included a letter which thanked me again but was otherwise simply a description of the enclosed documents which I was to sign and return. There were no surprises here until the last sentence above his signature…

“I should also inform you of the news that Miss Dot has resigned her post with The Trust.”

Oy. I guess that didn’t go well. It’s really a shame to see Dot Macchi depart The Trust. I will miss her, she is the reason I am here! Well, who knows, maybe some time away from things…or persons… Of course, she did go on that sabbatical once before. Hmmm. Oh dear, maybe this is final.

I first met Dot and Quin here in Winterfell four years ago. Seems I have known them both much longer than that. That’s the way it is with Time in these worlds I travel.

I took the boat from the house in Kamar down to Selenitica in the morning, just as I always do when I stay here. As I began to climb the hill to make my way to the castle and my makeshift office, I could smell wood burning. Quin! He’s here!!

When I reached the top of the hill on Arrival Island, I could see the smoke coming from the chimney of Quin’s retreat. Finally!!

Instead of turning right toward the castle, I headed left to cross the bridge to Garden Island and walked to the bridge to Quin’s Island. As I passed through the gardens, I heard a voice calling.

“Mr. Whitfield — good morning!”

“Hello Quin!” I shouted back.

He met me halfway along the bridge and we shook hands and exchanged further greetings and went inside where Quin had prepared coffee for the two of us. Apparently, he had expected me.

“I hope you won’t mind, Mr. Whitfield, if I get straight to business? It is rather urgent,” he said as we took seats in the observatory and looked out at the rock islands of Selenitica and beyond to the Sky Tree towering over the waters and swamps of Tao.

“Please do.”

“Selenitica will return,” he said.

I admit, I almost did a double take…as we were sitting right there in Selenitica when he said it. Once in awhile even a veteran time traveller like myself can lose track of time and forget when he is and have to take a moment to get his bearings but this was not one of those times. So I didn’t do a double take. In fact, I didn’t even do a single take. I just sat there, blankly listening…as if nothing odd had been said…and hoped I would be able to decipher what he was talking about.

“While some questions remain and our efforts must be accelerated,” Quin went on, “there has been substantial progress.”

“Excellent,” I responded, figuring that was an appropriate response, substantial progress and all.

Quin went on to explain what he was referring to. In great detail. I know others complain he is usually rather light on the details, making it hard to figure out just what he is doing most of the time and why. But sometimes I’d like to change places with those people. It’s hard to get Quin to stay put for very long but when I have had the pleasure, he certainly has not been shy about giving me the details of whatever he is working on at the time. We seem to have a special bond, always have. So – when I can get Quin’s attention – I get more than my share of details.

But with Quin, the devil is in understanding the details.

A lot of it went right over my head. I’m just a simple explorer and time traveller, not a scientist nor a genius. But I listened closely, just the same. Anyway, Quin knew what he was talking about and that is all that really matters.

“…..So of course, you can clearly see our only option is to make some changes in this instance of Selenitica,” he concluded.

I nodded in agreement. I didn’t grasp what he meant but it didn’t really seem like there was a choice, so I just nodded. He kept talking and I kept nodding.

He kept referring to this instance of Selenitica and some other instance of it and — in what I hoped would be taken for the little joke that it was — the next time he referred to changes “in this instance of Selenitica,” I responded by saying, “For instance?”

Well, I thought it was funny. Not fall over and die funny, just lightly funny. Something to bring a little smile at approximately 7:30 in the morning while still on the first coffee. (Not to imply that I ever know what time it is here, just a guess.) But Quin took it as a straight question and went right on to answer it, “Well, the name for one,” he said.

“The name?”

“We certainly can’t have two Seleniticas at the same time, Mr. Whitfield!” he laughed as if I had made a joke. (I had but he was laughing at my second question rather than the first.)

“No,” I said, “we certainly can’t have that.”

“So you can see the problem?” he said.

Well no, not exactly. Actually I have no idea what we’re talking about. But I wasn’t going to say that.

“Yes,” I said. He smiled. I could see he was relieved.

I had to think fast to come up with something to say that would not only make sense to Quin but also help me find out what was going on here.

“What would you have me do?” I ventured.

“Oh, sir, it would not be appropriate for me to decide. It is really up to you.”

Great.

“But may I suggest?…”

“Oh, please do,” I interrupted, “feel free. I would be grateful for your advice on this matter.”

He smiled. “You might consider not only renaming Selenitica itself but this entire world, Evergreen, as a whole.” He paused. I nodded. “And use the new name for both.”

I nodded still again. It was becoming clearer now. If I have the gist of it, Quin has figured a way to “reconstitute” a previous incarnation of Selenitica…or some facsimile thereof, I think. Something truer to the original Selenitica – after which this one was named – or maybe it is the original…or a derivative…or…

Look, it doesn’t really matter whether I “get it” or not. There is going to be another place known as Selenitica and Quin apparently wants me to select a new name for this one. Okay, I can do that.

“I will begin thinking about a name today,” I said. He smiled. “How long are you here?” I asked.

“I must leave tomorrow,” he said

“Well, due to the urgent nature of this matter, I will have a new name for you by the end of the day,” I said, smiling and thinking our discussion had ended successfully.

But Quin’s smile was replaced by a more serious face. “Proper naming is quite important, Mr. Whitfield but the urgency in this case is in regard to something else,” he said.

“Oh.” This had the feeling of one of those “good news/bad news” conversations. Apparently, the name changing was the good news.

“There is the financial aspect, of course,” he said, trying to smile.

“Of course,” I said as I remembered the phrase from his telegram: ‘…SHOULD RESTRUCTURE OUR AGREEMENT RE AGES IN YOUR CARE…”

“In order to pursue my efforts to return Selenitica fully,” he went on, “I find myself, sadly, once again in need of funds. Substantial funds, I’m afraid.”

Uh-huh.

“And that is where I come in?” I asked.

“I do hate to ask for a…handout…especially when you have been so generous to The Trust all this time…” Quin said, “and so I will not ask.”

I looked at him, again blankly. I had no idea where he was going with this.

“Rather than asking you to sponsor these Ages, as you have been so kind to do for these past eighteen months….I was wondering…” he paused for the longest time,”…if you would like to…purchase them?”

“The Ages?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

Okay then, this wasn’t the bad news part. It was certainly from out of left field. Buy the Ages? Really? There’s a lot to consider there, for sure…but it’s not the bad news. Not by a long shot. Noooooo. The bad news part wouldn’t involve me at all, fortunately.

Unless, of course, I see Dot first. Then it’ll be my problem. Or more correctly, it’ll be Quin’s problem that I will have to deal with.

Uh-uh. No way.

“Well, Quin, there is quite a bit to think about here,” I said as he nodded and sat quietly, waiting for me to continue, “but I will think on it – all of it – over the course of the day. And if you meet with me for supper tonight, I will have your answer ready by then.”

“Shouldn’t we discuss the financial aspect now?” he asked, a bit nervously.

“I don’t think that is necessary,” I said. “I’m sure we can work that out. My decision will not be based on that aspect but on the question of what is right for these Ages and whether I can fit that into my life at this time. That is what I must seriously consider.”

“Certainly sir, I understand. Six-thirty for supper? I shall make us a very nice stew.”

***

That evening over supper, I agreed to take ownership of the grouping of Ages that up to now was known as Evergreen — not ownership of the Ages themselves, I made this clear to Quin, for I would not be comfortable with that concept, but of the grouping, the collection. He understood and welcomed this approach.

I further agreed to rename the grouping and it’s prime region under one shared title. I submitted to Quin the name, Aquaetas.

When I said it aloud, Quin’s reaction was to look to his left and down for a moment as he thought it over. Then he nodded his head slightly as he stated, “From the Latin words for water and time…as in period of time or Age.” He smiled.

I had spent the day in my office in the castle and later at my house in Kamar, going through the small collection of reference books I have in each place. I wanted to find a name that I liked but that would have meaning for Quin as well, as his study-retreat will still be here – I insisted – even if he does not visit as often.

“I hoped you would like it,” I smiled as well. “I guess there must be some paperwork involved?” I said as I wanted to wrap up our evening and catch some sleep before timejumping back home in the morning.

“Nothing can be finalized until we speak with Miss Dot,” Quin said.

I looked at him with raised eyebrows. “I’ll be off to Winterfell in the morning,” I said.

I have now read every book on the shelves of my retreat in Kamar. I had already brought all the paperwork up to date; corresponded with Mr. Zeplin; toured the Ages, toured them again; picked up the odd prim that I must have left there eons ago (I wanted to say “ages” ago but I’ve already used that joke more than once)…There was nothing else to do here.

Should I just go home to Winterfell now? And then have to make the trip back later? That would be a wasted effort. So I just sit here. Damn! I’m a time traveller – a man on the go! I enjoy just sitting around doing nothing when that is my choice but sitting around doing nothing because one has no control over the situation is another matter entirely.

I mixed a G&T while I considered the options, such as they are.

I have been here every day for nearly a month. Well, not every day. I’ve had to travel back and forth to Winterfell a couple of times and to Dankoville too. And there were a couple of side trips here and there, now and then. But I have been here often. Doing what I have done so many times over the past four years…

Waiting for Quin.

(I’ve been threatening to write a song with that title. It would be something to sing or whistle while I wait.)

“…and the time traveller says, ‘I don’t have the foggiest. I just got here myself!'”

“HA! HA!” We were doubled over with laughter. And we were only on the third round.

It had started as a sleepy Thursday afternoon at Storytellers Pub in Winterfell Laudanum. Dark Moon, the day bartender (most of us call him Bert), was on holiday and I was watching after things for a couple of hours in between the lunch rush and the 5 p.m. business crowd. I was nursing a black IPA and leafing through the sport section of the Winterfell Mourning Crier when the door opened and in walked a tall man with flowing white hair and beard, dressed in a green suit. I knew in a moment it wasn’t St. Nick. Nor St. Patrick either.

It was Seamus Gumbo.

Sourcerer, Time Wizard, hippie, former merchant seaman, one-time head shop owner and my old friend and business partner. I’d received a couple of letters but he hadn’t visited Winterfell in more than two years, since “the Duke Ages” – Seamus’ joking reference to my time as the Duke of Evergreen.

“Line ’em up, barman,” he hollered in my general direction. “Whiskey! Your best! Three glasses. Straight, no chaser.” His fingers played an imaginary piano and he hummed – or grunted – a syncopated melody.

It was the worst Thelonious Monk impression I had ever heard. Though I can’t say I have heard many.

“Don’t worry about the bill,” he announced, “I’m a close friend of the owner of this establishment.” He sat himself down at the bar with mischief in his eyes and a smile of satisfaction on his face. He seemed quite pleased with his entrance.

“I’ll need to see some ID, sir,” I deadpanned.

“ID?!!” He responded as if highly insulted. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a business card and offered it to me.

“Seamus Gumbo,” I read aloud, “Time Wizard.”

I sniffed. “Yeah, time wizards, time travellers, time lords – we get all kinds in here.”

“C’mon, Danko! The card’s embossed!” He was impressed with his own business card.

I was impressed with the card too but not with the cardholder. “Finally spent the extra ten bucks to raise the lettering, eh? You cheap bastard!” I slipped the card into my pocket as Seamus began to laugh.

“That’s why I can’t pay for my drinks!” He slapped his hand on the bar as the laughter grew. My smile became a laugh as well and I came around from behind the bar to give him a big hug.

“How’ve you been, old-timer?” I said loudly. “Where have you been? Whatcha been up to? What brings you to Winterfell after all this time? How come you didn’t warn me you were coming, so I could have arranged to be out of town?”

“Let me answer that last question first,” he started. “No, wait. Let me answer the second one first. No, I’ll answer the third one, second. Wait. Can you say them again?” he continued to mock me, “In alphabetical order this time?” Laughter.

And this was before I starting pouring. We were just getting started!

It was only the two of us but the pub had come alive on this hazy afternoon as Seamus recounted his travels over the past couple of years over a couple of rounds of ale and a cheese platter and I responded in kind. Then came the cigars and more ale and more stories and more laughter.

Not long after Seamus arrived, Ulysses The Cat had wandered in from his favorite sleeping spot on the window seat in the pub’s sitting room. I knew he’d remember Seamus’ voice and would join us sooner or later. I put a couple of treats down for him and he walked right over to devour them. Then he sat and stared at Seamus for a bit. Next time I noticed Ulysses, he was scratching at the floor near the end of the bar, by the back door. Ever since I brought him from home to live in the pub, he has been fascinated with that area of the floor. You know how some cats are when they find an imperfection in something? They have to chew it or scratch it? They’ll work at it like they’re obsessed…for awhile. Then they go do something else. Later, they’re back at it. Obsessed once more. That’s how Ulysses had been. The floor does need some work around that door. Whoever put the tile in, made a mess of it. It’s driving that cat crazy.

As Ulysses scratched away at the floor, Seamus and I laughed and ate and drank and talked and talked and puffed and drank and laughed some more. It was a full afternoon of story-swapping – with a little impromptu sing-a-long thrown in now and then – at Storytellers Pub. What a great time we were having, catching up. So good to see Seamus again.

“My friend Sage ever stop in?” he asked me at one point.

“Yes. Sage Wright. Right?”

“That’s him.”

“He was passing through Winterfell…quite some months back. Last summer, I guess. I wasn’t much help to him, had nowhere to put him up. Not like the old days,” I smiled. “I helped him find lodging. He wasn’t here long. A couple days.”

Seamus nodded. “You’ve seen him more recently than I have,” he said.

“Funny you should mention him,” I went on, “I just met his niece not a week ago in Ireland. 21st century.

“Laura?” said Seamus but quickly corrected himself, “Laurel!”

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“How’s she doing? She’s a nurse, I think,” Seamus said.

“She mentioned something about that,” I said. “She seems nice. Cute. Funny too. Took me a moment to catch on that she was putting me on a bit,” I laughed. “She remembers you, hanging out with her uncle. Oh, and I met Jamie too. By chance, in a pub there in Ravenbaille. She was working the bar. I didn’t put it together that she was Sage’s daughter until later.”

“You’re not the only one,” muttered Seamus as he looked away for a moment.

“Huh?” I was surprised at his response.

“Never mind,” he said, waving his hand, “go on, continue.” He sipped his beer and looked down at the bar.

“uhhhh…Jamie came over to Dankoville last fall. I’m doing business with her boss and she came over for that.”

I filled him in on the goings-on in Dankoville and out at Whitfield Farms. And I told him how my family members were doing, especially those he knew, including Annie.

“Your sister…is the sweetest person I have ever met,” said Seamus. He took a puff of his cigar and watched the smoke lift toward the ceiling. “Why, if I was 25 years younger, I —”

“You still wouldn’t be good enough for her,” I interjected.

“Says you!” Seamus came back.

“That’s right!” I said adamantly.

Another burst of laughter. Then Seamus’ laughter started to turn into a cough. Or maybe it was the cigar smoke. I reached for a glass to get him some water. He put his cigar down in the ash tray. Almost. He missed. The cigar rolled slowly along the bar…on the other end from me. The cough ceased and Seamus rose from his seat to follow the cigar. He reached over as far as he could stretch just as the cigar reached the edge of the bar and grabbed for it —-

Awww.

An expensive cigar lay on the floor of the pub. Ulysses came over to sniff it.

“Thief! That’s my cigar! Get your great big paws off it!” Seamus hollered in jest at my cat, who apparently did not take the joke. Ulysses scampered away.

Seamus moved a bar stool and got down on his knees to reach under the bar rail for the cigar.

Ulysses came back over, cautiously. He resumed scratching at the floor.

“I think your cat has found something,” Seamus said as he crawled toward Ulysses. The cat backed away.

“Your cigar?” I inquired with a teasing tone.

“No. A secret.”

What?

I turned in his direction.

“What?” I asked him.

“How long did you say you’ve owned this pub?” Seamus asked from his hands and knees as he ran his fingers along the floor where Ulysses had been scratching.

“Over a year now. 15 months I guess,” I replied as I placed his glass of water on the end of the bar and looked over at where Seamus now lay on his stomach.

“Did you ever suspect termites?” he asked.

Was he joking now or what?

“Okay Sea, what’s going on?” I walked out from behind the bar as he rose to his knees and leaned forward, placing his hands on the floor.

He looked up at me. “There’s a hole in your floor, Publican,” he said with a sly smile. He carefully pushed his fingers into a couple of cracks in the floor.

(I had been meaning to have this floor fixed, I assure any patrons of Storytellers Pub who may be reading this. It was just a decorating question that was yet to be decided – of whether to simply redo that one area or the entire floor. I assure you, the structural integrity of the pub is sound and no customer has been placed in any danger at any time. Aside from the usual Winterfell danger – witches, dark elves, the occasional vampire, The Mist – for which the management of the Storytellers Pub are not responsible. Please address any further inquiries to my attorneys, Dewey, Cheatham & Howe aka Moe, Larry & Curly.)

Seamus lifted one tile that at closer inspection seemed a bit out of place. “It’s a door!” Seamus said in surprise. I was also surprised but I can’t reprint here what I said there.

We looked down into this dark hole in the floor of my pub.

What the hell?

“Bring a candle,” Seamus said.

“There’s some water,” he said as he leaned into the hole with the candle I had fetched.

He put his hand in. “It’s pretty cold.”

He put his face just above the water and stared as he held the candle by his head. “There’s a ladder just a couple feet down. It looks pretty deep. I can’t see the bottom,” he added. He placed the candleholder on the floor and lowered himself into the opening.

He disappeared.

Ulysses leaped onto the bookcase against the back wall to watch the show.

I peered into the hole. Waiting.

And waiting.

“How long can he hold his breath?” I thought with visions of Lloyd Bridges starring in Sea Hunt floating through my head (for those of you with knowledge of the 1960s).

After a few minutes, the waters parted and Seamus arose.

“Well?” I welled him.

“This water is only two feet deep. Then you are under it. Completely. Clear of it,” Seamus said as he climbed out of the hole. He walked to the bar and grabbed his ale and took a long sip.

“What? How? How is that even possible?”

He looked at me.

“Damn it, Danko, I’m a Time Wizard, not a plumber,” Seamus said in his best DeForest Kelley (which was much better than his Thelonious Monk).

He was wet but not as wet as if he’d been swimming with Lloyd Bridges.

He sipped his brew. I poured a whiskey.

“At the bottom of the ladder, there is a stair. I followed it down another level to a series of tunnels,” he said.

“Tunnels?”

“In all directions,” Seamus said as he reached over the bar for a napkin to wipe his brow. “I didn’t go far, I could see there were many turns. Didn’t want to get lost down there.”

He took another sip of beer and returned to the trap door. He propped it open and handed me the candle. I placed it on the bar and came back around to stare with Seamus into the hole.

We just stood there. Speechless. Staring at the hole in my floor.

A series of tunnels. Under Winterfell. Wow!

This was quite a surprise. It was incredible really.

It was My Spot.

That’s where I always stand! Most of the time, I don’t like to sit at the bar. I like to stand. If I’m there for the evening, I will sit of course. But if I’m just there for one or two rounds, to keep an eye on things and confer with the bartender, I stand right there! Every night I’ve gone in to town since we opened more than a year ago!

And all this time I had no idea that I was standing over a secret passageway. To a series of more secret passageways.

Now what do I do? Should I tell people about this?

“Best to keep it quiet until you investigate further,” said Seamus as he read my mind while re-lighting his cigar.

I nodded.

We were both speechless again. And, after six rounds of ale, not in any condition to climb into a deep, dark hole in the ground that leads to who knows where, who knows when.

There was only one thing to do.

Pour another round.

Stout this time.

And, after six rounds of ale and one of stout – not to mention the stray whiskey or two, we were – surprisingly – not in any better condition to climb into a deep, dark hole in the ground to who knows where, who knows…what……was I saying?

“I’m taking one more look,” Seamus opened the trap door again and stood at the opening, swaying in the wind. Wait, we were indoors. Probably wasn’t the wind. Probably was the ales. Or the stout maybe. Damn stout.

Ulysses The Cat left the room and returned to his window seat. He had seen enough.

Seamus opined that the tunnels would probably still be there tomorrow. I agreed. He also agreed. There was nothing else to say at that point, as gentlemen, we just had to agree to agree.

On his way out, Seamus dropped some cash into the donation box. “That’s for your staff, for the trouble they’ll have to go through tonight, trying to set things straight after your shift!” he said. And out he went.

I walked back over to that trap door, opened it again. Just to look.

“Been there, right under my feet all this time,” I thought, shaking my head.

I stared through the field glasses for quite some minutes. I panned around Selenitica as it was the first time I had used these glasses. They’d been sent to me by an inventor, a Mr. Daubresse, who apparently was looking for an endorsement of some sort…probably so he could use it to acquire further funding for the development of the glasses. Hmmm. The jury is still out on that.

I returned to focus on the person or being that I’d been watching from my makeshift study in the castle.

He – I’m not sure why I was assuming it was a he – was across the way on Arrival Island, just sitting there, looking east. I didn’t notice when he arrived but I’d been watching him for about twenty minutes.

We get all kinds here in Evergreen. Explorers, scientists, historians, educators, all sorts of researchers, the occasional industrialist who leaves a business card and a note asking about mining rights, photographers, painters, tourists…and, apparently, aliens.

Well “he” definitely wasn’t from anywhere around here.

When I’m here, I try to walk a fine line between assisting visitors and leaving them be and letting them explore and wander.

But this one was different. Oh yes, he was obviously from some other planet and time and race but that was all secondary. It was what he was doing that intrigued me.

As I say, he’d been sitting there since I first saw him, looking east. More specifically, staring in the direction of the towers in the waters of Satori.

No one had done that before.

No one except me.

I descended the stairs to the castle door. I paused a moment to consider my options should there be any trouble. I reached into my pocket to activate the Flash Time Device given me by Professor Wagstaff long ago in Caledon. Should I need to move quickly, the FTD would transport me in a flash to a pre-determined distance and time from wherever and whenever I was at the moment. I usually keep it set to 400 paces, two minutes to the past. I gave a thought to doubling the numbers in this case but left it as it was.

Through the door and out along the bridge from Castle Island to Arrival Island. I walked as quietly as I could until I arrived on the other side. Then, wishing to make myself known, I stepped closer, cleared my throat and said, “Good evening, Sir? May I be of any assistance?”

The being jumped to his feet and turned toward me in one swift move, “What?” His hands were raised slightly in front of him. “Where did you come from?” He said quickly in a voice unlike any I had heard before. Hard to describe it. Thinner rather than deeper. A couple times during our conversation, I thought I heard a slight clicking sound…but that may or may not have been from his voice.

I could see he wasn’t sure of my intentions so I quickly introduced myself, “Welcome to Evergreen. I am Danko Whitfield. I look after these Ages.”

“Ages?” he repeated. Pause. “Ages,” he said again.

“Yes, sir. Four Ages to be precise.”

He stared at me a moment, looking me over. He grunted.

He was green from head to foot. All green. With tentacles, I guess. And scales. Some kind of dragon maybe.

“You are the one I am to talk with,” said the visitor.

“Yes?”

“Yes,” he said, “I am Daniel. Where is this place?”

Hmmm. How to answer that directly?

I told him about Evergreen. About the Ages: Selenitica, Kamar, Tao and Satori. And when I was done, I smiled at the visitor and waited for him to respond.

“Where is this place?” he said again.

Hmmm.

I offered that the complete answer to that question would be much longer than all I had just told him and that I wasn’t fully sure I could explain it anyway.

“That would be a better question for Mr. Oddenfen,” I said.

“He is here?”

“No, not at this time.”

Daniel nodded.

“There is food here?” he asked.

“Oh yes. We have all — well, I’m not sure what kind of food you like…but I’m sure we can find something. Walk with me over to the house across the way, sir.”

I turned and gestured toward Quin’s house but heard the visitor ask, “What have you learned about those?” He was pointing to the towers in the distance.

“As a matter of fact, I have been doing some research, sir. I have a theory.”

I told him about the radio signal and my monitoring of it and about the towers in other Ages. He seemed to understand the concepts. In fact, I got the impression he understood it better than I do.

“From where does this signal emanate? Who sends it?”

I told him I was just about to begin my research on the first question. “The answer to the second question, might never be known,” I said.

(My own belief is that the D’ni put these towers here but Dot Matrix has cautioned me about sharing that opinion publicly. Until there is proof. “We must have solid evidence, Mr. Whitfield,” she has told me several times. She is right, of course.)

“The signal brought me to this place,” Daniel said.

That was unexpected.

“You picked up this signal? Where?” I asked, almost involuntarily.

“That would be difficult to explain” said Daniel. “It would definitely be elsewhere. Very much elsewhere.

“Merely elsewhere?” I asked. “…or probably elsewhen as well?”

Daniel mulled that one over, looking around.

“Probably,” he said.

“And you picked up this signal and followed it?”

“It was not anything I had planned,” said Daniel. “We were trying to get the AI back online..…and the invasive life had run wild and gotten into everything……We were trying to hone in on the signal of the transmitting tower our team set up when we arrived…..we had lost contact with Control and were trying to reestablish it….then everything went black….then we were in this world…..”

It was quite a story. Not that I got all of it but I got the gist.

“– And you found yourself here in Evergreen,” I sort of cut him off as the details were getting more intricate and I was having trouble following along.

“No, sir. I found myself at your Devokan Trust.”

“Oh. I was about to explain about The Trust…”

“Dot Macchi has explained it to me,” said Daniel.

“Oh. She was there…at The Trust headquarters when you arrived?”

“Yes. Dot Macchi explained The Trust and sent me here. Dot Macchi told me you could explain the towers.”

“Dot Matrrix,” I ventured to correct him.

“No, Dot Macchi.”

“I understand, yes. But it’s Dot Matrix now.”

Daniel looked at me, puzzled.

I shrugged. “I dunno. There’s a memo about it. I haven’t read through the mail yet, I just returned here this morning.”

“Dot Mat – rix?” Daniel said slowly.

“Yes.”

He grunted.

“There is coffee here?” Daniel asked.

“Yes. Let’s go over to Mr. Oddenfen’s quarters…”

Daniel interrupted, “Dot Mac…Dot Ma-trix had good coffee. Strong.”

“Yes, Dot makes a good pot of coffee,” I said, as I thought back to her days in Winterfell when I would stop by on my way up to Ebonshire and share coffee with Dot. “…and none of that weak English stuff either,” I continued, “She has it shipped in from elsewhere.”

“And probably elsewhen,” Daniel added. Then he smiled.

“Probably,” I said. I smiled as well.

We walked across the bridge to Garden Island and then over the next bridge to Quin’s Island. Daniel commented on the plants and trees along the way. As he spoke, I casually reached into my pocket and turned off the Flash Time Device. It was clear I would have no need for it.

Inside Quin’s study-retreat, Daniel looked through Quin’s library while I prepared the coffee.

Daniel in Quin’s study at Selenitica, Evergreen

He told me a bit about himself and his homeworld, Transgenia. He wasn’t sure exactly how he got to the Devokan Ages and so he wasn’t sure how to get back. But since the radio signal had somehow delivered him here, all he could do was to find out everything he could about that signal, in hopes it would lead him back.

I offered him use of one of the pods in Tao and told him to make himself at home there. Dot had already shown Daniel the towers at Waysmeet. We made plans for me to take him to the tower site in Tao Lia the next day.

It has been quite some weeks since I submitted to The Trust offices, a detailed report of my summer research on the towers and the signal. I also left a copy here in Quin’s study. I had waited for his thoughts on my findings and some direction about how he would like me to continue.

But all I received was a brief note by messenger…

Dear Mr. Whitfield,

Thank you for your extensive efforts on behalf of The Trust regarding the towers. Although, I appreciate your methodology and the considerable time and thought you have given this important matter to arrive at your most interesting theory, I believe it is much too early to draw any conclusions at this time.

Very best wishes,

Quin

Well, yeah. But now what?

Without any direction from The Director, I had put my research aside for awhile to tend to business in Winterfell, Dankoville and elsewhere. And elsewhen.

Now I guess it was up to me to decide how to proceed from here. I guess I must go it alone. Well, not exactly alone. At least for the moment, I would be accompanied by little green men. Well, one little green…err…..…dragon maybe?